And luckily Silvia Persico had to start slowly in the cyclocross! First three races and first three victories for the Italian champion. Silvia herself (opening at Faè di Oderzo, photo by Alessio Pederiva) told us this: in the interview a few weeks ago. And yet... However, she was honest: she confirms it to us Davide “Chief” Arzeni.
We met them both at the retreat of their future team, with which they have already started working, namely the UAE Team Adq. The technician and the athlete come from that great family that is the Valcar Travel & Service and from the relevant cross-country team: the FAS Airport ServicesFor years, they've been divided between road and off-road. But this year, with the WorldTour looming, certain balances have changed. Or at least they are.
Davide, Silvia told us she'd start slower in cross-country. She told us she didn't plan on going fast right away, and instead...
I don't disagree with Silvia, because in reality it's exactly like that. We are preparing more specifically for the road and for important events… on the road. If I compare last year's training sessions with the current ones, we're not training less... we're training much less. Then again, it must be said that up until now we've been racing in Italy anyway, and the level is known to be less than stellar.
The level isn't high, it's true, but there are girls who have been at full capacity for two months...
In these first few days of Silvia's racing, what I wanted was to find a bit of rhythm, but I saw something more. I saw a Silvia who, even though she wasn't in good condition, I assure you, she can already be competitive to enter the top ten in the World Cup. It's a surprise because, I repeat, the preparation is truly focused on the road and objectives that will arrive later in the season. Just to give you an idea, Last year around this time we were working on 40”-20” repeats… this year we haven’t even done a 20”-40”.
So can we say that Persico is starting from a higher level?
Silvia is continuing her physical and athletic development. And we also see it in the tests with the other coaches on the team. He's showing that he has a major engine.. So far, everything is coming easy to her.
So how important was 2022, both physically, with all the Grand Tours you completed, and mentally?
She has certainly acquired greater mental awareness and I believe that, despite having been out of action for a long time, she has had the right amount of rest. The current condition is still the result of the work done up until September, that is, when he closed the season with the World Cup. If an athlete starts to go strong in these very important races, it means that the legs are there, but also the head. Racing at this level means you know you can compete with the best in the world. Let me tell you something else...
Go!
Law he believes he can even compete to win the cyclo-cross world championship. She's thinking about it... at least she's thinking about it and aiming to confirm last year's result, when she came third.
And do you think it's possible?
Yes… but in the meantime I'm aiming to learn Italian. Next Saturday, she'll also start competing against the stronger Dutch and Belgian teams... And there we'll really begin to see the strengths on the pitch. Or at least how Silvia compares to them.
So will Val di Sole be the true indicator of his condition?
I would say yes, because in any case the girl who is going fastest is the Van Empel, who last year also won in Val di Sole, and she should be there. Silvia really went to train in these three races: the first hard training sessions. But I repeat, we're working specifically with the road in mind. For example, we're still working really hard in the gym.
So, Davide, what will be your big goals on the road? Given how last season went, we can imagine it'll be the stage races...
The first objective is certainly il UAE Tour (9-12 February, ed.) because it's the home race and they really care about it here. By the way, it will be a few days after the World Cross Country Championships, so it's assumed that Silvia will be in good shape. After this race, there will obviously be a break and this will lead us to partially change the objectives regarding the Northern classics. While last year we focused more on the Flemish races, this year we will focus more on those of the Ardennes. Silvia will do the Tour of Flanders, but with the goal of being fit for races like the Amstel or Liège. And then everything else will come.
